As I briefly noted in Monday's post, the Fine Oak series is a newer brand for Macallan. As opposed to their classic whisky style (spirit matured in only sherry-seasoned Spanish oak casks), the Fine Oak whiskys contain a combination of malts that have been matured in sherry-seasoned American Oak, ex-bourbon American Oak, as well as the sherried Spanish Oak. The result is a completely different nose and flavor profile, one that lets the malt itself shine through.

Macallan has been pushing its Fine Oak pretty aggressively in some world markets, sometimes more so than their Sherry Oak. That may be because some folks think the Fine Oaks are more immediately accessible. That may be true, but that's just opinion again. The age range for the Fine Oak series is 10, 12 (not in the US), 15, 17 (not in the UK), 18 (not in the US), 21, 25, 30.

James and I concluded the Macallan Taste Off with the 17-year-old Fine Oak. (It's the lovely one in the champagne glass, above.) It was enlightening to compare and contrast it with its Sherry Oak cousins, 12 and 18.

Only twice have I ever paid three figures for a bottle of whisky. On both occasions, it was The Macallan 17 year Fine Oak. I've been enjoying this whisky for some time. To share it thrills me even more. I've been hoping to do tasting notes on this for so long, thus due to all my drinkingpractice meditation, my notes above are the more wordy ones. James and I agreed that between the three Macallan drams, this one was the favorite.

Now, this bottle (in the picture above) was purchased and opened almost exactly a year before our tasting. And it has had a low level for quite some time. (You see, it was the whisky I'd save for really good days, and once more prevalent those opportunities recently have become few and far between.) That low level and the extended time period means that the whisky has gone through considerable oxidation. So, was it better last year? Probably. But it's still great now, thirteen months after its opening.

*sigh* Here comes the hypocrite. Yes, it is expensive. Yes, it is probably overpriced. But would I buy it again if I had the money. Yes.

In my defense, it's not as egregiously costly as the Sherry Oak 18:

I'm sighing again, because the price went up this year. In 2010 and 2011 it was $110, and I nabbed it both times for $104. Those days are gone.

As always, I'm trying to do my best to ignore price when coming up with a rating. If I didn't ignore price then yesterday's Sherry 18-year would have taken a sound whuppin'. But the rating is about the whisky itself. And The Macallan 17 year Fine Oak sits where it does in the in the Rankings because it is a splendid thing, even after thirteen months of oxidation abuse. It merges the best elements of the three separate wood finishes into a smooth flawless whole.

I recommend it to any whisky lover, with the disclaimer of its expense. Try the 15 year Fine Oak first, another great dram. If you like that one and money isn't an issue, then this is the amber restorative for you.